Retaining means for loose aggregates



Nov. 9, 1937. K. sLmELL 2,093,903

RETAINING MEANS FOR LOOSE AGGREGATES Filed Dec. 3l. 1935 665: Q0 l l I UNITED sTATEsPATYENT oFF-ICE RETAINING 'MEANS FOR. LOOSE GATES AGGRE- Kemper Slidell, Madison, Wis., assignorto C. F.

Burgess Laboratories, Inc., Chicago, Ill., a cor- I, y poration of Delaware Application December 31, 1935, Serial No. 57,024

v:i claims. This invention relates to water softeners and filters of the type in which one or more bodies of loose aggregate material are arranged in a tank or container and the water is passed through the bodies for the softening, filtering or other treatment which it is desired to give to the water. In equipment of this character .the container and its contents usually are delivered separately to the point of installation and are there assembled by dealers, contractors, plumbers, etc., who may have no responsibility to the manufacturer. For this reason, the manufacturer does not have control over the final arrangement of the equipment or of the materials in the equipment, prior to its going intouse, with the result that frequently the materials are improperly arranged in the container, or insuicientmaterials are used, and sometimes inferior materials are substituted. Although the need has long been felt for more direct control over the equipment by the manufacturer luntil the installation is ready for use, no means for aording such control have been provided up to the present time.

The only completely satisfactory method of exercising control is for the manufacturer to correctly arrange the materials in the .tank and provide means for preserving such arrangement une til delivery to the user. The loose aggregate materials usually fill the tank incompletely, leaving an unoccupied space in which they may move around when the tank is laid on its side or othery Wise moved during handling and shipment. During such movement the different materials become displaced and intermixed unless some means is provided to prevent their movement, and such displacement and intermixture usually are detrimental and 4may destroy the effectiveness of the equipment for its purpose. Attempts have been made to prevent the movement by tightly packing or filling the unoccupied space in water softener tanks with salt, which may be washed out after installation. It has been found, however, that packing with salt results in objectionable corrosion of the interior surface of the metal tank, with the result that such means is not considered a satisfactory solution of the problem.

It is the `object of this invention to provide means for preventing movement of the segregated bodies of loose aggregate materials, which means may be installed and removed readily and which have no deleterious effect upon the operation of the equipment.

The invention will bedescribed and illustrated in connection with a water softener employing (Cl. 21o- 24) segregated bodies of loose supporting and distributing material, such as gravel, and loose water softening material, such as base exchange zeolite, but it is understood that the invention is equally well adapted for use with any watertreating or other liquid-treating equipment in which one or more bodies of loose aggregate ma terial are employed which should be prevented from becoming displaced or intermixed during handling or shipment of the container.

In the drawing:I

Fig. 1 is a sectional elevational view showing a water softener employing my' invention;

Fig.'2 is a sectional view along line 2--2 o f Fig. 1;

Figs. 3 and 4 are fractional sectional views showing modifications ofthe equipment;

Fig. 5 is an elevation of a modified detail;

Fig. 6 is a plan of a further modicatiomand Fig. '7 is an' elevation thereof.

In Fig. 1 a water softening tank is shown in readiness for shipment. The tank Ill has an apertured pipe or pipes II at the bottomV with slots I2 therein, or a perforated plate equipped with nozzles known as a distributor, and also a coupling I3, A second coupling I4 is provided at lthe top adapted to receive a second pipe or distributor, (not shown) which latter is installed before the Water softener 'goes into operation. A relatively large opening or hand-hole I5 is located at the top of the tank and is closed by a cover I6, which may be clamped tightly in place by tightening the threaded bolt I1 in clamping material. It is the usual practice to arrange the zeolite or other mineral directly upon the gravel in the manner illustrated, without any screen or .other separating means between the two materials. An unoccupied space 2|, called the freeboard, is left above the body of zeolite or mineral 20.

The gravel usually is graded in size, the smallest size being arranged at the top of the gravel bed and the sizes becoming larger toward the bottom of the bed. It is important that a layer of the finest gravel be at the top of the bed to support the zeolite or mineral 20, which is usually of small size. The different sizes are prefer-v ably arranged in horizontal layers across the bed.-

It isV important also that a uniform arrangement be preserved in order to obtain an even distribution of the water throughout the area of the bed. For `satisfactory operation of a water softener, the zeolite and gravel bodies should remain segregated and in their proper arrangement in the tank. If the tank .is shaken, tilted, or laid upon its side, the loose materials move about unless some means are provided to prevent such movement. If, for example, the materials have been caused to shift toward one side of the tank, such materials usually do not shift back into their original positions when the tank is again placed upright. The result is a'bed which is thicker at one side than at theother. Under such conditions the water flows more readily through the thin portion of the bed so that there is uneven distribution. Also, the arrangement of the different sizes of gravel in horizontal layers may be disturbed. The smaller sizes at the top may shift toward one side, resulting in the more ready flow of water through the other side of the bed iwhere the larger sizes predominate. The zeolite may become intermixed with the gravel to such an extent as to occupy a portion of the space surrounding the distributor II. The slots I2 of distributor II may be small enough to prevent the passage of the gravel therethrough but not to prevent the passage of zeolite and, with downward ow of water, quantities'of the zeolite may pass out of the tank and be lost. For the above reasons it is common practice at the present time for manufacturers to ship the tanks, gravel and zeolite separately to the dealers, contractors, plumbers, etc., and rely upon the latter to assemble them with the proper proportions and arrangement of the contents.

According to this invention, means are provided for retaining or maintaining the loose aggregate materials rmly in position during movement of, and regardless of the position of, the tank. The retaining means, in a simple form, comprises a collapsible partition or bulkhead and a post for pressing it against the loose aggregate materials to prevent displacementfthereof. The partition orI plate 22 which substantially completely covers the top surface of the zeolite 20 is made up of sections 22', 222, '223, (see Fig. 2), which are sufiiciently narrow to pass through opening I5 in the top of the tank. The sectionsA are adapted to lie side by side upon'the surface of the zeolite 26 and to fit snugly within the wallv of the tank. They may be composed of metal, wood, stiff bre board, or cardboard, and the like, and may have tongues and grooves along the edges to form aninterengaging fit with each other, as shown in Fig. 1. A second plate or cross-piece 23 is arranged across the top of plate 22 in such manner as to rest against the surfaces of all of its sections. enough to pass through opening I5 and may have va nail 24 or other suitable centering device projecting upwardly from the central portion thereof. A block or post 25 of wood or other suitable '.material is placed in an upright position upon 'compression when said cover is moved down into closed position by the bolt II of clamping means I8, thereby causing the cover plate 22 to hold the loose aggregate materials rmly in place and Plate 23 also, is narrow stantially'equal to the hardness of the-rubber of which automobile tire casings are composed. In such cases the combined length of blocks 25' and 26 may be somewhat greater than that of the post of Fig. 1, and, because of the compressibility of block 26, the combined length ofthe two alined blocks need not be rcorrelated as'exactly with the height of the surface of the aggregatev material las in the case where the single rigid block is used. The rubber is sufficiently hard to maintain the required pressure upon the aggregate material to prevent any displacement during movement of thetank.

In Fig. 4 there is illustrated a means for maintaining the loose aggregate materials in fixed po-A sition,.which is adapted for use with a tank having the opening or hand-hole in its side, instead of at the top. The tank 30 is shown with' a side opening 3I adapted tobe closed by cover 32. With the cover open, sections of plate 33 are placed side-by-side upon the top of the zeolite l 34, forming a knock-down partition, and plate 35 is placed upon said partition. Plate 35 may have a nail 36 or other object `projecting upward- -ly therefrom at a point adjacent the center thereof. A block or post 31 may be arranged diagonally in the unoccupied space above the removable partition, with the top in engagement with the top central portion of the tank, and the bottom in engagement with plate35 at a point nearer to the side of the tank containing the opening 3I than to the other side, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 4. The post 31 is of such length that when in a vertically upright position it is in compression between the top of tank and plate 35. It is forced from the diagonal position (see dotted lines) to the vertical position by moving the lower end until it contacts with obstruction 36. This may be accomplished by any suitablevmeans, such'for example as a bar, inserted part-way through the side opening with its end placed against the lowerportion of the post and struck with a hammer or sledge. Plate 35 may be `depressed slightly during this operation, as -indicated by the dotted and full line position of said plate. An elastic or springy material, similar to the block 26' of Fig. 3, may be interposed between the top of the post and the top of the container.

After the post is in the upright position, a. second nail 38 may be driven into plate 35, or any other suitable holding device such as a block of wood to fit against post 31 and the sid'e `of the tank I0, may be employed to hold the bottom end of s aid post firmly in position against any tendency to slide sidewise. A post, made in two sections hinged together near the middle, to'form a toggle, may also be used to depress the plate and partition.

A further modification is shown in Fig. 5 in which a recessed block of wood 39 rests on the plate 23 andl is preferably secured thereto. This device is intended more particularly for use with the form of tank in which the opening is at the top as in Figs. 1 and 3, for example, in which case the lower end of the vertical post seats in the recess in said block. By making the recess in the block large enough to insure a loose t, said block may be used also in connection with the post 31 in Fig. 4, by-forcing said block along the plate 35 to move said post from inclined to vertical position.

Figs. 6 and 7 show a further modication, intended more particularly for use with a tank having a side opening, as in Fig. 4. The block 40 is.

preferably secured to the plate 35 and has a recess il in the top thereof and an inclined surface or wedge 42. The lower end of the post 31 may then be driven up the inclined surface from thevthe manufacturer for installation. Wadding may'- be used to prevent movement of these objects within the space. In this way the entire unit may be packed and shipped as in a single package. Usually the zeolite, the diierent sizes of gravel, the pipe connections and the tank are all fording the desired control as explained heretofore, my invention results in a substantial saving inpacking and shipping expense.

I claim: 1. Means for packing for shipment a container having loose aggregate material therein partially lling the same and having an opening above the surface of said material, 'said opening being of smaller dimensions than the internal dimensions of said container, comprising a collapsible partition in said container and a compression member confined between said partition and an inner wall of said container for pressing said 'partition against said material, said partition and said compression member being insertable through said opening of said container.

2. The packing means of claim 1 in which the collapsible partition has means thereon Vfor engaging the compression member and preventing.

relative movement between said partition and said compression member.

3. The packing means of claim 1 in which the compression member comprises compressible elastic material.

KEMPER SLIDELL.

packaged separately. Hence, in addition' to af- 

